DA critical of Rivard rape comment

The Barron County district attorney is blasting a state lawmaker over his controversial comments about rape victims.

Republican State Representative Roger Rivard (R-Rice Lake) has been drawing fire after saying in an interview that “some girls rape easy.” The comment was the result of a question about a sexual assault case in northwestern Wisconsin involving two minors. Rivard has tried to clarify that his comment was a warning from his father, who was trying to point out that a woman could later claim premarital sex was not consensual.

However, Barron County District Attorney Angela Beranek says the case Rivard talked about was not a so-called Romeo and Juliet situation, and was in fact the result of force against the will of the victim. In a statement, Beranek called Rivard’s comment “offensive and inexcusable.”

Rivard is running for re-election in the state’s 75th Assembly District.